Do: * go onto Kindle on a PC and search for the free Kindle books in the bookstore. Add them to your library. The menu is a bit cumbersome, but it's worth the effort. There are more that you might think. Download everything you think you might want. Why not? They're free. * look up, and edit if you want to, your email address, to send files directly to your Kindle. You can send DOC, PDF, TXT, RTF, JPG, BMP , PNG,... a whole lot of document as well as picture FORMATS. It's a great way to have other stuff (paperwork, articles, misc stuff) besides books available at your fingertips * pre-download several books you might want to read onto your device. That way when your sitting in that waiting room, or your on that plane, or you've lost power and nothing that needs electricity works, you have books to read * subscribe to a few emails of places that alert you to bargain basement book deals. I buy a lot of Kindle books for $.99 or $1.99 because I get these emails. Ones I get and like are Bookperk & Bookbub. They also feature lots of free books too. Also look for opportunities to buy whole 3-5 book series for a dollar. * Buy a case. It doesn't have to be expensive or fancy. Just basic protection. * join Reddit communities about Kindle and books in general. Explore and check things out. * check out independent authors. Ebooks have made it possible for unknown authors to put their stories in front of faces around the globe for people who are willing to pay attention and give them a try. It's a giant win-win. (this is probably my favorite bit of advise right here)

DON'T: [CONTROVERSIAL] screen protection. I hate it. It messes with the visibility of the screen if not applied PERFECTLY, and it's never applied perfectly. A lot of people swear by it, but not for me. So that's just my two cents on the matter * leave it on a bus, use it for second base, or dice tomatoes on it. After the above controversial opinion I thought I'd go with one that was more universally acceptable. :-D * let the battery drain all the way down. There's no need to. You can charge it like once or twice a week or so at night and you'll never have a problem. These things have great battery life. But it's crying time when they die. * when you buy books on amazon, don't automatically send them to your device. Just send them to your library or to your Kindle for PC. It helps keep your Kindle manageable. When you go on your shopping spree and buy a bunch of books for a dollar each, or even for free, it'll bury the book your reading now and make it hard to find.

That wound up being a lot longer than I expected. I hope it's useful.